Health

On Nutrition: Changes get noticed as new year begins BY BARBARA QUINN | THE MONTEREY COUNTY HERALD

I finally got a new photo for a new year. It was time, a friend assured me. And he was right. We really do change as we go from year to year. And as we come back to reality after a long holiday season, here are some observations:

Times change. I no longer see eggnog in the grocery store. And magazines now tout weight loss tips instead of pie recipes.

Tastes change. Hot coffee tasted good when I was driving home for the holidays in the early morning dawn. Stale donuts from a truck stop, not so much.

Menus change. Even I was surprised to see this change during my recent visit to my home state of New Mexico. On the menu in Ortega's New Mexican restaurant in Albuquerque where we stopped for my green chile "fix," we read: "We are committed to maintaining the healthy quality of our food without sacrificing any of the flavor. We use only all-vegetable oil in our food preparation. We offer all of our sauces and dressings on the side. We serve whole beans (not refried). We serve whole wheat sopapillas with every meal." That's a big change.

Some things change slowly. My grown daughter — in an intimate conversation we shared on Christmas day as we walked around the block at my sister's house — confided that, when she was in elementary school she traded the carrots I packed in her lunch for her friend's Granny Goose potato chips.

Attitudes can change. As the holidays become a memory, I now regard what I used to consider routine family get-togethers as precious time to reconnect with special people. That is an important change.

Some things don't change. My recent visit to New Mexico confirmed that this state houses the best country western dancers of all ages in the country, in my opinion. And this activity fits right in with current recommendations to enjoy frequent physical exercise.

Warnings don't change. On my trip home from the holidays, I was greeted with this clear flashing reminder from the Arizona State Patrol: "Drive hammered. Get nailed."

Calories do not change. These units of energy tell us how efficiently a food can add "fuel value" to our working bodies. If I need to lose the few pounds of stored fuel that accumulated over the holidays, I can change how many of these calories I eat every day.

Nutrition recommendations change. And that's a good thing.

Science continues to uncover the mystery of how substances in food work to keep our human machinery running smoothly. This column will continue to address these changing topics in the year ahead.

Years change. This year, as the timeless saying goes, may God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, courage to change the things we can, and wisdom to know the difference. Happy New Year.

Follow Us

Post a reader comment

We encourage your feedback and dialog. Please be civil and respectful.If you're witty, to the point and quotable, your reader comments may also be included on the Around the Towns page of The Sunday Republican. Readers must be registered and logged in to post comments on the site. Registration is free. Click Here to register.
A Subscription is not required to post comments only a Registration.

Travel

Visitors coming to the nation's capital for President Barack Obama's second inauguration can't stay in the one place President Ronald Reagan's family once called an eight-star hotel. That spot is the White House, and it's booked for the next four years.

Outdoors

Unlike street motorcycles, flat-track bikes don't have rearview mirrors. If they did, though, pro racer Kenny Coolbeth Jr. of Morris would certainly say he's extremely glad to see last year disappearing in the distance behind the torquey bikes he rides in AMA Grand National Championship events.